2013 CPAC Professionals Day & Job Fair Attracts 1500

A record breaking number of immigrant professionals from all over the Greater Toronto Area gathered at CPAC Professionals Day 2013, a career development conference and job fair for internationally trained professionals (ITPs) held today at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto. With such high profile keynote speaker as Hon. Dr. G. Raymond Chang, OJ and dozens of leading employers from various sectors, CPAC Professionals Day has become one of the must-attend events for immigrants in the GTA, attracting 1,500 ITPs.

Highlights of the event include the keynote presentation by Hon. Dr. G. Raymond Chang, OJ, a well known business leader, philanthropist and former Chancellor of Ryerson University. Speaking on his journey of success, Dr. Chang shared insights into the path of his success and experience of how giving forward is most rewarding. “I want to share the lessons learnt from my ancestors and I hope my experience can help more people to overcome their challenges and succeed in their careers. I believe that we all have the ability to extend ourselves well beyond our boundaries – whatever they may be or whenever we may be.” said Dr. Chang.

The job fair was once again a main attraction of Professionals Day. More than 50 employers and service agencies were at the Marketplace, bringing in a wide range of career opportunities to the event, including IT technicians, engineers, police officers, finance and accounting professionals, administrative executives, project supporters etc. Participating in the job faire were such prominent employers and recruitment agencies as BMO, CGA Ontario, TD Canada, Canada Revenue Agency, Canada Forces, Canadian Security Intelligence Services, CIBC, Allstate, Randstad Technoligies, Sunlife, Toronto Police, The Scarborough Hospital, Yee Hong etc.

The plenary session was followed by 10 breakout workshops on various career development topics delivered by employers, industry specialists, trainers and career consultants. The topics include new job landing strategies, workplace survival and thriving secrets, leadership skills and professional etiquette.

CPAC Professionals Day has received generous support from the sponsors including BMO Bank of Montreal as the Presenting sponsor, CGA Ontario as the Diamond Sponsor and TD Bank Group as the Gold Sponsor.

“Helping internationally trained professionals integrate into the community and become contributing members is our mission at CPAC, and today’s event is just one example of that,” said Dr. Hugh Zhao, President of the Chinese Professionals Association of Canada(CPAC).  “Over the years, we have developed the capacity and resources to help them build their careers and start a new life in Canada, and eventually Reach for New Heights as indicated by the theme of this year’s Professionals Day.” continued Dr. Zhao.

Since 2002, CPAC has been hosting Professionals Day as an annual conference on career and professional development for internationally trained professionals (ITPs). Over the years, the event has grown into one of the few large-scale events in the GTA that helps ITPs establish themselves professionally and advance in their career.

Opening Ceremony of 2013 CPAC Professionals Day

Dr. Hugh Zhao, President of CPAC

Ms. Vivien Yung, Area Manager of Personal Banking, BMO

Keynote Speaker: Hon. Dr. G. Raymond Chang, OJ, Chancellor Emeritus, Ryerson University

Group photo on the opening ceremony of 2013 CPAC Professionals Day

From the left: Dr. Hugh Zhao, President of CPAC; Ms. Vivien Yung, Area Manager of Personal Banking, BMO; Ms. Julia Shan, Branch Manager, TD; Ms. Carmen Jacques, Business Development Manager, CGA Ontario; Hon. Dr. G. Raymond Chang, OJ, Chancellor Emeritus, Ryerson University; Mr. Michael Chan, Ministry of Tourism and Culture (Ontario)

Job Fair of 2013 CPAC Professionals Day

Breakout Session: Career Opportunities in the Financial Industry